Headlines

Canucks get back on the road, face Oilers

by
Brian Compton
/ NHL.com

CANUCKS (44-24-4) at OILERS (23-42-7)

Last 10: Vancouver 6-2-2; Edmonton 4-5-1.

Season Series: This is the sixth and final meeting between the Northwest Division rivals. Edmonton won Round 1 on Oct. 19, 2009, but the Canucks have won the last four. The last showdown was on Jan. 20, when Vancouver skated away with a 3-2 victory at Rexall Place.

Big Story: Despite a recent 14-game road trip, Vancouver is closing in on Northwest Division crown. The Canucks have built a six-point lead on the struggling Colorado Avalanche and there are only 10 games remaining in the regular season. A division title would guarantee Vancouver home-ice advantage in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Team Scope:

Canucks: Vancouver is back on the road after going 3-1-1 on a five-game homestand. The Canucks lost in disappointing fashion on Saturday, when Henrik Zetterberg scored with 0.2 seconds remaining in overtime in a 4-3 loss to the Detroit Red Wings.

"Dying seconds of overtime, it's a disappointing way to lose," said Canucks captain Roberto Luongo, who made 50 saves in the loss. "But we got a point."

Oilers: Despite possessing the fewest points (53) in the NHL, Edmonton has played well as of late. The Oilers made it two in a row on Sunday with an impressive 5-1 win against the San Jose Sharks at Rexall Place. Devan Dubnyk made 27 saves for Edmonton and came within 3:02 of recording his first shutout, only to be denied by Ryane Clowe.

"When it was 5-0, the thought started to creep in," Dubnyk said. "Just a little bit. I didn't get too excited about it. Maybe if I had 20 wins, I might have been a little more desperate to get my first shutout. I was just happy to get another win. Right now I'm just happy to have that winning feeling."

Who's Hot: Canucks forward Ryan Kesler has 17 points in his last 16 games. … Dustin Penner has enjoyed multi-point games in two of his last five contests for Edmonton.

Stat Pack: Edmonton needs seven more points in its final 10 games to avoid tying its worst record in franchise history. The Oilers had 60 points in 1992-93, which was an 84-game season.

Puck Drop: "It's a relief, yes, to have another core player under contract for a significant period of time, and we hope this is going to drive him to be even better, and help us win a championship." -- Canucks GM Mike Gillis after signing Ryan Kesler to a five-year extension